Sheet apparatus



Oct. 5, 1943. McDEARMlD 2,330,903

SHEET APPARATUS Filed June 5, 1942 5' Sheets-Sheet l Oct, 5, 1943. M. T. MQDEARMID SHEET APPARATUS Filed June 5, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 5, 1943.

M. T. MCDEARMJD' SHEET APPARATUS Filed June 5, 1942 s Sheets- Sheet 3 Patented Oct. 5, 1943 i 'eiai isl gel. 211- 3);

This invention relates to an improved" appaa ratus for facilitating the tearing ;of sheeting into strips 'o'fthe desired length;and;for storing said' stripszpreparatory to rhemming -thewends thereof in themanuiactnrehfbed sheets. I

The primary iobiect of the :present invention'is to 'providean apparatusqof the above kind by means of 'which' therstrips of sheeting may be produced with comparativejyease and rapidity with the use of :a minimum amount of manual labor;

lAJmore specific objector thepresent invention isto 'pro'videzan apparatusof the above kindem.-

bodying simple and 'eificient'means for folding the strips of sheeting and storing the same in quantitiesvas 'theygareproduoedx Qther objects andfeatures of the present invention'will become apparent from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the invention consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in said accompanying drawings and claimed. t

- .In the drawings: 7

Figure 1 'is aside elevationaliview of a, sheet apparatus embodying the present invention.

Figure :2ris 1a. :top'plan view thereof. V

. Figure 3 islanuenlarged' view showing an end portion'of .the' apparatus in vertical longitudinal section so.:a's to reveal certain details of con'-;

struction.

thereof; the arrangement being such that the sheeting-sis extended from the roll 9. forwardly and upwardlyiaround the guideroller Ii) to the guide roller 12 at the forward end of the uppermost" shelf :lJzyflIhe sheeting is then extended back and forth around the rollers I 2 and above theshelve's 1 I, and finally irea-rwardly above the platformii to vaguidejrcpller-l-Z mounted above the rear end of ayrearwardextension I3 of the plat- ,form -6' whioh-extends= rearwardly beyond the table 5 as shown clearly in Figure 3. Mounted; uponthe-=-extension I3 is awframe I4-having coacting feedJollers l5 journaled at the top thereof,:on'e o'f-whi'ch is powerdriven by means of a motor I tend suitablebelt gearing-r l l. The motor I16 is; mounted upon a suitable base 1-8 fixed upon the :plattormextension l3 as is also clearly shown in-*--Figure'%-3-. After 'passing'around the guide Figure 4 is a transverse section taken on line 4-4 :of Figure '1. a a

Figure '5 islaz'transversesection taken on line 5- 5 ofiFi'gurezln Figure: 6 is a transverse section taken online 6-6 'ofiFigure :1; and r .5 i

Figure-Tis atperspect-ive view showingone'of' the'bars over which the sheet strips are folded and stored in'quantities'r; I 1

Referring in; detail to the drawings, the present. apparatus comprises an elevated table 5 having an elevated platform 6 constructed'along onesideof and below the'same, steps 1 being provided at one end of the'platform 'fi to'facilitate ascension of the operator to the platform 6. Suitably arranged upon "the. floor beneath the table '5 is'a' mcuntingfi for receiving the supply roll 8 of sheeting. The matform .6 extends inwardlyunder thetable 5, and a guide roller I0 is jour-naled at the' forward. end of this portion of the platform Arranged beneath the table sane above the "platform 6eare a series of shelves 1:!" havlng guide rollers 21!:jourrialed at opposite ends.

roller l-2 rearwardly of the frame M, the sheeting extends upwardly and then forwardly between the'fee'd rollers 15'. In passing from the roll 9 to -the feedroll'ers' I5 in this way, the sheeting is fed forwardly toward the rear end-'o'f table 5, in a irsmooth ,1 or 'unwrinkled con'dition; Ar-ranged between the feed rollers IS'and the'rearvend of table 5is'ta'trough 19 'in which the sheeting may gather-as'atifl to provide a reserve supply from which the sheeting "may "be: drawn for marking and tearing into strips of desired'lengths while on' th'e table "5' and'rby means 'oi an operator standing on the platform 6 beside and near the forward: end' "of said table 5. To facilitate mark.- ing andtearing ot-the sheeting into strips or the desireddiangth; a suitable marking device 2-! is mounted upon theta'ble 5 near its rear'end, and

a conventional knife 22'is mounted near the for ward end of-table 5 along, the edge thereof for slitting thef'edge'of "the sheeting preparatory to manual tearing of 'the'same by the operator. The knife122 'isa'djustably mountedas at 23 for adjustment longitudinally of 'th'e "table and relative to the marker 2| so that the length of'the sheet" strips may be varied according to the length of sheets it is desired to'produce.

Hinged to the fforwardendof table 5 is a leaf 24"norma'lly a'dapted to gravitate to a lowered position as shown by dotted lines in Figure-3 anda-dapted'to be manually raised'and held-into a'horizontal position-coextensive with the table 5 as shown irrFigure 3. The elevation of'leaf' 24 isadaptedtobe effected by the operator standing on' thegplatform 6; by suitable means such as a foot'lever-15 operatively connected with leaf 21 at one side of the latter by means of a cable 26-;extending-alongguide rollers Hand 28' and inclination are" supporting rails -32 coextensive with the conveyor belts 29 and carried by suitable.

framework 33; the motor 30 is mounted upon a base 34 above the rails 32and forwardly of the T conveyor belts 29. In use, a sheet strip supporting bar 35 is directly in front of the leaf 24. The motor Hi is then placed into operation-sofas to feed the sheeting into the trough I9 where it accumulates in folds as illustrated. From this trough, the sheeting 'is drawn by the operator over'the sur-' face of table 5, the end of the sheeting being extended to the knife 22 and a mark being made upon an edge of "the sheeting by the marker 2 I at the desired distance fromsaid-endof the sheet ing. The sheeting is then drawn forwardly until the part of the sheeting containing said mark is brought at the cutter 22,where the sheeting is slit transversely at one edge. The sheeting is then torn transversely at this slit s'o'as to pro duoe a strip of sheeting the desired length. Addi tional strips are produced by repeating-this operation, the lengths of'the strips depending upon the position at which the knife 22 is adjusted longitudinally of the table relative to the marker 2|. As the strips are produced, they are drawn forwardly over the leaf and draped'forwardly over the supporting bar 35. When the desired number of strips have been placed upon the bar 35, the conveyor belts 29 are'placed into operation soas to feed this bar and its batch of strips forwardly onto the 'rails 32. However, before placing the conveyor belts 29 into operation, each strip of sheeting is folded over the supporting bar- 35 by dropping the leaf 24 to the dotted line I position'of Figure 3'thr0llgh release of foot lever 25. Thus, the strips will be stored in quantity-on each supporting bar 35 in centrally'folded condition as illustrated in Figure 3. The batches. of sheet strips stored upon bars 35 may be manually shifted forwardly on rails32 so that the'latter will be able to contain a large number of these batches which may be selectively removed from time to' time and taken to'sewing machines for the cloth in said apparatus/theoperatoryby the quick calculation which can be made from the markings on the table, can? determine the: length for tearing the greatest number of sheets with the least possible waste. For example, where a defect appears the operator may tearften 108 inch sheets and one 99 inch sheet or, may tear ten'99 inch sheets and two 90 inch sheets; and infso doing the defect is torn outwith less loss than would be sustained in tearing all sheetsofthe placed upon the conveyor belts 29 as shownin Figure 3 same length. If the table is correctly read, the

maximum amount of waste will be 8 inches. In

actual operation, let us assume a defectappears in the c1oth,.0n the shelf and at a point thereon where the reading is 945 inches, the operator may tear six 108 inch sheets and three 99 inch sheets,

or, five 99 inch sheets and five 90 inchsheets from this point or reading, and thereby tear out the defect with a minimum loss of cloth. At no 10 time will this loss exceed 8 inches; 1 I

From the. foregoing description, it will be seen that I have provided a very simple, efficient and 1 highly useful apparatus of the character described which will enable the production of sheet forming strips in considerable quantity and in an expeditious'manner with the employment of a minimum amount of manual labor.

Minor changes in the detail of construction illustrated and described are contemplated such as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed. What I claim asnew is: v 1 w l. A sheet apparatus of .the character. de-' scribed comprising an elevated table having an elevated platform arranged along one'sidesof and below the same, means for feeding sheetingto one end' of said table,a strip folding leaf hinged for vertical swinging movement .toand at the other end of said table, means to elevate the leaf to a horizontal position" coextensive: with said table, conveying means extending forwardly from said leaf and adapted to contain a sheet strip supporting bar transversely of the table in a po-" sition forwardly of the latter and the leaf, whereby'strips of sheeting torn upon the table may v be fed forwardly over the supporting bar and folded over the. latter "by dropping said leaf.

' 2. A sheet apparatus. of the character ]described comprising an elevated table having an 0 elevated platform arranged along oneside of and below the same, means forfeeding sheeting .to one end of said table,= a strip folding leaf .hinged for vertical swinging movement to and at the other end of said table, means to elevate the leaf to a horizontal position coextensive with said table, conveying means extending forwardly from said leaf and adapted to contain. asheet strip supporting bar transversely of the'table in a position forwardly of the latter and theleaf, whereby strips 'of sheeting. torn upo-nthe table may'be' fed forwardlyover the supporting barand folded over the latter by dropping said leaf, the feeding means for the sheeting including power driven feed rollers disposed rearwardly of and in spaced relation to the table, and .a troughinterposedbetween the table and said feed rollers wherein the sheet may accumulate and fold to afford a reserve supply of sheeting from, which the latter may be drawn onto the table preparatory to tearingthe same into strips of desired length.

3. A sheet apparatus of the'character described comprising an elevated table having an elevated platform arranged along one side: of and below the same, means for feeding sheeting toone 'end of said table, a strip folding leaf hinged for vertical'swinging movement to and at the other'end of said table, means to elevatethe leaf to a horizontal position coextensive with said table; conveyingmeans extending forwardly from said leaf and adapted to contain a sheet strip supporting bar transversely of the table in a position forwardly of'the latter and the leaf, whereby strips ofsheeting torn upon the table may be fed forwardly over the supporting bar and folded over the latter by dropping :said leaf, the, feeding means for the sheeting including power driven feed rollers disposed rearwardly of and in spaced relation to the table, and a trough interposed between the table and said feed rollers wherein the sheet may accumulate and fold to afford a reserve supply of sheeting from which the latter may be drawn onto the table preparatory to tearing the same into strips of desired length, a marker for the sheeting provided on the table near its rear end portion, and a sheeting slitting knife mounted along an edge of the table near its forward end, said knife being adjustable longitudinally of the table relative to th marker.

4. A sheet apparatus of the character described comprising an elevated table having an elevated platform arranged along one side of and below the same, means for feeding sheeting to one end of said table, a strip folding leaf hinged for vertical swinging movement to and at the other end of said table, means to elevate the leaf to a horizontal position coextensive with said table, conveying means extending forwardly from said leaf and adapted to contain a sheet strip supporting bar transversely of the table in a position forwardly of the latter and the leaf, whereby strips of sheeting torn upon the table may be sheet strip supporting bars after being shifted forwardly by the conveying means, and upon which a number of the sheet strip supporting bars with batches of strips thereon may be stored preparatory to hemming the ends of the strips.

MAULT T. MCDEARMID. 

